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Tuesday, 15 December 2015

Another awesome Wendy & Peter Pan review

Jemima
Mitchell is an 18 year old English Language and History student at the
University of Birmingham. With a strong love for theatre and the RSC she is
taking advantage of the close links between Birmingham and the RSC to see as
many shows as possible. Currently a Student Ambassador for the RSC she is
looking forward to being able to try and encourage more young people to attend
the theatre.

I am an avid
reader and have always enjoyed reading whatever I could get my hands on. J M
Barrie’s Peter Pan and Wendy is one
of the earliest books I can remember. My copy of it still sits in pride of
place on the family bookshelf, despite the fact that I, unlike Peter, have
grown up and (supposedly) flown the nest. With daring sword fights, a mermaid
lagoon, flying and fairies there was nothing not to love. At least as a child.
Having now grown up and developed into a strong feminist, it’s fair to say that
Wendy’s restriction to the role of ‘mother’ is one I strongly resent.
Therefore, when I heard of the RSC’s Christmas production of Wendy & Peter Pan it’s fair to say I
leapt at the chance to see it and had booked to see it twice before I even knew
what was happening.

Upon walking
into the theatre the first thing you notice (or at least, the first thing I noticed) was the fantastic set and,
interestingly, the number of beds. The RSC is famous for its jaw dropping sets
and so that was to be expected. However, everyone knows the story of Peter Pan
and there are three Darling children. Yet, there on the stage was undoubtedly
four beds. My friends and I theorised that perhaps the dog had been given a
bed, as Nana was treated very much like a human in the Disney version. Alas, we
were wrong and Nana did not even make it into the show and instead there were
actually four Darling children.

Yet, despite
Nana’s absence, the wonderful creative genius of Ella Hickson in adding an
extra Darling to the story added all the depth that the original was now
missing for me as an adult. At the beginning of the play, Peter and his band of
shadows come to take Tom (the extra Darling) away to Neverland. As the shadows
enter the nursery, W B Yeats’ The Stolen
Child begins to echo throughout the theatre. Having studied this poem in
great detail for A Level Literature, the tone of the play immediately became
clear as Yeats creates a very sinister view of the fairy world which steals
children away to its magical, fantasy land.

This then,
is the catalyst for Wendy’s own adventure and she sets off to rescue Tom and
bring him home. Mariah Gale puts in an excellent performance as Wendy, the girl
struggling between child and adult. It is in Neverland that
Gale truly makes the role her own. We enter Neverland on Wendy’s coattails and
watch as she defies everything the world has tried to predetermine for her and
knocks all the obstacles out of her way. We are introduced to a wide plethora
of diverse characters, who all serve in their own way to defy stereotypes.
There is great diversity within even the ranks of the pirates (in the form of
Martin) and the lost boys and the wonderful reimagining of Tiger Lily (played
by Mimi Ndiweni who stole the stage whenever she was on) provides a strong
female heroine all the audience can get behind, not to mention Tink, whose
character development throughout the show is spectacular to see.

These three
dimensional characters, backed up by the (as always) spectacular set, provided
me with everything J M Barrie’s version is missing, giving the boys and the
girls equal chance to play and save the day. If Barrie’s story lives on for its
sheer magical delight, Hickson’s reimagining will live on for bringing the show
into the 21st century with all the magic of the original as well as
an extra special spark that is all its own. Definitely a show not to be missed.

Make sure you get your BP £5 tickets this Christmas period for an unforgettable night of theatre!

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About The Blog

For young people, by young people.

This blog is made by the Young People’s Forum as a space to share thoughts, ideas and experiences relating to the RSC.

Whether it's a review of a production, pictures from inside and around the building, interviews with members of the company, thoughts about what is going on at the RSC, and everything in between, this is a space where we can share our experiences .